6 Things I Do Not Do as an Attention Trainer (and Why)

When people ask me how to protect their focus, they often expect tips, tools, or productivity systems.

In my work as an attention trainer, I’ve found that what matters just as much is what you deliberately do not do.

Attention is fragile. And once it’s fragmented, it doesn’t simply return because we try harder. A growing body of research shows that frequent interruptions, digital overload, and task switching systematically impair attention, increase stress, and reduce cognitive capacity (Becker et al., 2023; Leroy, 2009)

Here are six things I intentionally avoid, not because I’m exceptionally disciplined, but because both research and experience are very clear.

1. I Don’t Take My Phone Everywhere, or Have It turned on at All Times

Studies have found that a phone needs to be physically in another room in order to be significantly less distracting. If it’s still in the same space as you — especially when notifications are turned on, but even when they’re not, it continues to draw your attention towards it.

This is supported by research showing that the mere presence of a cell phone can impair attention and performance on cognitively demanding tasks, even when the phone is not in use (Thornton et al., 2014). In other words, attention is taxed simply by knowing the device is nearby.

Turning the phone off also buys you critical decision time. After reaching for it, if it’s off, you still get an extra moment to decide: Do I actually want to check this now, or can this wait? That pause may seem small, but it is exactly where agency lives.

2. I Don’t Spend More Than ~30 Minutes per Day on Social Media (I Try)

Short-form digital content is an absolute attention killer. It fragments attention and leaves you feeling scattered and drained rather than restored.

What makes it particularly potent is the constant switching between content that provides micro-dopamine hits and content that fuels envy, anxiety, outrage, or fear. This combination increases psychological stress and likely elevates cortisol, which interferes with sustained attention and self-regulation.

I currently have my timer set to 22 minutes. But the more research comes out, the clearer it becomes that there is very little upside to scrolling – physically, mentally, or emotionally. For attention and well-being, closer to zero is often better.

3. I Don’t Have Notifications Turned On on My Devices

I’m quite extreme with this one. I don’t have notification badges on email, WhatsApp, Instagram, or any other social app. No push notifications on my phone. No banners flying into my computer screen for new emails.

The reason is attention residue. Research by Sophie Leroy (2009) shows that when we switch tasks, our attention does not fully disengage from the previous task. Parts of it linger, reducing performance and cognitive capacity on whatever comes next.

Over time, these small attentional leaks accumulate. Research on interrupted work shows that frequent task switching increases stress and mental workload, even when people feel productive (Becker et al., 2023).

The only exceptions I make are calendar and banking apps – anything  that doesn’t invite scrolling. In the way I’ve structured my life and work, about 99% of notifications do not require an immediate response. This is by choice, not by chance.

4. I Don’t Start the Day by Checking My Phone

I start my day with meditation almost every day. Not because I have extra time, but because I often don’t.

I don’t have time to move through the day unfocused, distracted, and mentally scattered. Starting the day by checking your phone is the equivalent of starting your computer by opening a thousand unnecessary apps and background processes. Everything still works — but everything is slower and heavier.

Practices that stabilize attention early in the day reduce the likelihood of reactive behavior and decision fatigue later on (Baumeister et al., 2007). Meditation helps me close unnecessary mental “background processes” so cognitive resources are available for what actually matters.

5. I Don’t Scroll Right Before Sleep

For the same reason I don’t start the day with scrolling, I don’t end it that way either.

Research shows that evening screen use disrupts circadian rhythms, increases physiological arousal, and reduces sleep quality (Cain & Gradisar, 2010; Carter et al., 2016). Ending the day overstimulated makes it far more likely that you start the next one in a similar state.

6. I Don’t Skip Meditation

I reduce it, but I don’t skip it, unless I’m very sick. I don’t force myself to meditate for an hour or even 30 minutes every day. But I do hold myself accountable to always sit down and attempt at least five minutes. On average, it’s closer to 20. Thirty feels best. Forty-five is rare, reserved for times when I need grounding.

I often compare meditation to a windshield wiper.

Never meditating is like never using the wiper while driving at high speed. Your vision slowly blurs as thoughts, memories, emotions, and experiences accumulate. Meditation clears the windshield so you can keep moving forward more safely, avoid wrong turns, and get where you actually want to go.

A Note on Training These Skills More Systematically

Many of the behaviors described above are not about willpower. They depend on meta-awareness: noticing attentional pulls, recognizing habitual reactions, and creating space between impulse and action.

This is precisely what Mindfulness-Based Strategic Awareness Training (MBSAT) is designed to develop. Rather than focusing only on stress reduction, MBSAT works with attention regulation, self-awareness, and decision-making in everyday life. The aim is to build the internal capacities that make behaviors like fewer interruptions, less reactive phone use, and more intentional beginnings and endings sustainable, even under pressure.

For those interested in developing these capacities more systematically, more information on the Mindfulness-Based Strategic Awareness Training (MBSAT) can be found here: https://www.profmindful.com/mbsat-course

References

Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The Strength Model of Self-Control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 351–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00534.x

Becker, L., Kaltenegger, H. C., Nowak, D., Weigl, M., & Rohleder, N. (2023). Biological stress responses to multitasking and work interruptions: A randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 156, 106358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106358

Cain, N., & Gradisar, M. (2010). Electronic media use and sleep in school-aged children and adolescents: A review. Sleep Medicine, 11(8), 735–742.

Carter, B., Rees, P., Hale, L., Bhattacharjee, D., & Paradkar, M. S. (2016). Association Between Portable Screen-Based Media Device Access or Use and Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(12), 1202. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2016.2341

Leroy, S. (2009). Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 109(2), 168–181.

Thornton, B., Faires, A., Robbins, M., & Rollins, E. (2014). The mere presence of a cell phone may be distracting: Implications for attention and task performance. Social Psychology, 45(6), 479–488. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000216